Adjuvancy

4 letter word, 1/4 inch, Huge Impact

No Gravatar

So, on my father’s birthday, I spoke about positioning.   And, Jack Trout.   And, branding.

And, what goes hand in hand with branding and positioning?   Logos.

These icons or symbols have been around a long time.  Think of the family crests that adorned flags and castles in the Middle Ages.  Or the Crusader’s cross (which clearly brought fear and loathing to my ancestors).

But, that logo only acquires meaning from its associations.   (Like the fear and loathing mentioned above.) And, we are interacting with such symbols in ways never considered in previous decades.  It’s no longer just the visual signature of a firm found on letterheads, billboards, and other promotional venues.   No, nowadays, we develop personal relationships with these logos- especially when they appear on (or as) apps on our phones and tablets.

The trick is to position one’s firm to ensure that the logo helps propel the business forward.

Back in the 1930s and 1940s, Raymond Loewy provided the world with radically changed designs.  His industrial design portfolio included the modern Pennsylvania Railroad S1 steam locomotives, Greyhound Scenicruiser bus, Studebaker, among other ventures.   Some of his logos were Lucky Strike (cigarettes), Shell, TWA, Exxon, and BP.   His work demonstrated that industrial design (good appearance) was a valuable investment in one’s business.

Starbucks
This is a trademark of Starbucks
Mastercard
This is a trademark of MasterCard

And, more and more, companies that are expanding their business world wide are seeking out logos that avoid the use of Western letters.  Consider Starbucks and Mastercard as but two examples.

Years past, logos had to be distinct, memorable, and simple.  No gradations, no fine lines.  Because printing technology could not provide such detail routinely- be it on a fax, newspaper ads, or the yellow pages.  (Yes, I know the yellow pages are long gone.)

Consider some of our older logos…

ASTRE

Notice that our first logo was unique, balanced, and bold.  But, also with no fine lines.  Back in the early 1970s, this was easily printed and used in advertising.

Our next spin-off was Industrial Microgenics.   It also had its genesis in the 1970s- so, its design was also blocky.

 

By the very early 1980s,  there was CoLyte and yet another spin-off company, BioFiltration Technologies.  You can begin to see how newer printing capabilities made our design concept less blocky.

Colyte

BioFiltration Techologies

By the mid-1980s, we spun off Bicarbolyte.   Here we employed the stylized icon for a kidney in our logo.

Bicarbolyte

And, in the mid-2000s, we morphed our firm into Adjuvancy.    We considered a stylized icon, but rejected it because all of our clients speak English, French, or Spanish (not necessarily as the first language).  And, English is the language with which we communicate our results, so Western letters were to render it clear to potential clients how we plan to communicate.

Adjuvancy

 

If we offered an app for the phone, we’d opt for digital-centric logos.  (Notice that the Microsoft Network icon is one that is really never printed, so it’s design concept is radically different.   Those designs is not just visible branding- it’s functional.

Microsoft
Property of Microsoft Corp
Trademark of Microsoft Netwrk

And, given how technology is changing, it’s clear that logos will be updated way more frequently.  Where the Xerox logo lasted for 50 years- they’ve been entirely redesigned. IBM changed theirs more frequently.

When we design a logo now, we seek to share our values, our vision, and our mission statements.  Which clearly means we need to communicate our branding and positioning.

What’s your position?Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A.

 

Share this:
Share this page via Email Share this page via Stumble Upon Share this page via Digg this Share this page via Facebook Share this page via Twitter
Share

8 thoughts on “4 letter word, 1/4 inch, Huge Impact”

  1. I am fascinated by logos, especially the ones with hidden letters or symbols (such as Amazon, with the arrow pointing from A to Z). A lot of times, you don’t even realize the symbolism until it’s pointed out,but you’ve probably already absorbed it on a subconscious level.
    Alana recently posted..Skywatch Friday – July Sunset

    1. Hidden symbols. Those of us who have designed computer programs used to (ok, still do) include Easter Eggs to entertain those who would venture into the workings of the system.
      But, those were not logos.
      Logos are our means to share messages across the world.

  2. Hi, Roy.
    Logos are very important to consumers. If you change your logo, it can upset or even change the way your clients/customers view you.
    I remember the rebranding of Coke into the “New Coke”. Lots of drama around that one (plus they reverted).
    I think change is always tough. I think of Instagram. When Facebook bought them they had to make a statement that “we are not the old Instagram”. They did that with the logo. Again, lots of drama around it but in their case, after the initial ‘OMG’, people acclimated.
    Personally, I like simple logos – mine is text with a checkmark as I deal with to-do lists. ^_^
    #blogboost
    Sara Beth recently posted..Comfort: Five Minute Friday Linky

    1. Sara Beth- you are right on target. But, we are all consumers- whether one is Koch, among the largest private enterprise, or John Koch, a private citizen- we all are buying and selling among each other.
      I love simple, too. In design. Not, in people. 🙂

  3. Previously, I was only familiar with advertising standing alone to promote a product or a service. Today, branding appears to be a combination of advertising and creating a mark in the market. It’s like an evolution of advertising.

    1. Hi, Bing…
      You are ABSOLUTELY correct. Given the way we view and interact nowadays- the separation between real and virtual, between brick and mortar and internet has been breached. We need to ensure our message is the same across all platforms.

Comments are closed.